The present invention relates generally to the dispensing performance of containers. More specifically, the present invention relates to dispensing apparatuses and methods for increasing the removal of a product being dispensed from a container.
Many consumer household products, such as food, cleaning or bathing products, are stored and dispensed from a container. When dispensed, some products easily flow from the container and thus leave little, if any, residual product in the container.
However, some viscous products are sticky and thick by nature and thus do not freely flow from the container, particularly where the container has a narrow mouth or opening. For example, these products may include bathing products, such as shampoos and conditioners, food products, such as mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup, and cleaning products, such as dishwasher detergents. Due to the viscous nature of these products, an appreciable amount of the product cannot be dispensed by normal use and thus remains unused as it is disposed along with the paid for product.
To address this problem, some have attempted to modify the shape of the container to facilitate dispensing performance. For example, some have designed the container to have a gently sloping shoulder to improve dispensing performance. Whereas, others have designed valve or nozzle assemblies for pumping the product from such a container. However, such prior attempts to address the outage problem have focused on either redesigning of the container or using additional apparatuses, which are thus costly to the manufacturer and ultimately the consumer.
Alternatively, the consumer may take matters into his or her own hands by leaving the container up-turned or shake and hit the container to further dispense the product. However, the dispensing of the product through the outlet, particularly as the container becomes progressively more empty, can take, or seem to take, a significant and frequently frustrating amount of time. In addition, if the container is vigorously shaken or hit, the dispensing product is less easily controlled as it exits the container, thus creating the potential for the product to be unexpectedly spilled onto a counter top, a floor or even an end user.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved apparatus to increase the dispensing of relatively viscous liquids from a container, such as plastic containers with narrow outlets. Such a device should allow the product to flow essentially uninhibited from the container, thereby maximizing the amount of product that may be dispensed under normal consumer use. As a result of an increase in product removal, namely the product outage, consumer satisfaction will likely increase because less product will go to waste.